The Crucial Role of Jasmonates in Enhancing Heavy Metals Tolerance in Plants

Abstract

Climate change is the leading cause of crop yield losses worldwide. Recent progression in plant biology and ground-breaking molecular and biochemical procedures have increased our understanding of phytohormonal signaling in response to numerous abiotic stresses, including heavy metals (HMs) toxicity in plants. HMs toxicity owns numerous harmful effects on plant health, including growth inhibition, reduction in biomass production, leaves chlorosis, imbalance of nutrients, and water contents, ultimately causing leaf senescence and plant death. Jasmonates (JAs) are naturally occurring lipid-derived hormones that normalize global plant growth and development under HMs toxicity. Notably, JAs as vital growth controllers are involved in numerous physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms in plants. JAs alone or occasionally in grouping with other phytohormones upgrade the stress tolerance system in plants. As a whole, JAs can secure plants from the harmful effects of HMs toxicity through the up-regulation of JA-associated gene expression and several physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Moreover, JAs can uphold the veracity of plant cells in response to different HMs by increasing the antioxidant defense systems and biosynthesis of some osmoprotectants. In this chapter, we have discussed the JA biosynthesis and metabolisms, its beneficial role in response to several HMs, its crucial role as antioxidant defense, and its cross-talk with other phytohormones have been explained.